The most immediate ramifications of Doug Marrone's departure for Buffalo would be felt in the world of recruiting. That much was obvious.

His exit meant Scott Shafer would have to swoop in and attempt to save the recruiting class with roughly one month until signing day, all in an effort to avoid a setback as Syracuse prepares to join the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Recruiting became his priority, and his new assistant coaches were out on the road even before they had been officially introduced in Syracuse. They traveled to Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New York City, among others, attempting to reaffirm previous verbal commitments and possibly secure a few new ones.

The Post-Standard caught up with Fox Sports football recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. to discuss the Syracuse recruiting class less than two weeks before signing day.

What's going on with Malik Brown and Augustus Edwards?

This has been a pressing question posed by Syracuse fans, as both Brown and Edwards have picked up major offers after their verbal commitments to SU.

Edwards is a three-star running back prospect out of Staten Island, and he is rated by some recruiting services as the top player in Syracuse's class. Brown is a three-star defensive end from West Palm Beach, Fla., who is arguably on equal footing with Edwards.

Edwards took an official visit to Florida State last weekend, Garcia Jr. said, and he will travel to Miami for an official visit next weekend. He has scholarship offers from both schools.

"If I had to gauge it, I would say one of those two schools might open up a spot for him," Garcia Jr. said. "And that would probably lead to his departure from Syracuse."

The silver lining, he said, was that Edwards still considers himself a Syracuse commit right now.

Brown, on the other hand, received a scholarship offer from Tennessee on Wednesday night, according to Garcia Jr. Brown has also tweeted that he has been in talks with coaches from Michigan State and North Carolina State.

With the offer from the Volunteers arriving so late in the process, it is unclear whether or not he will make it to their campus for an official visit. Garcia Jr. said that could play a major factor in his decision.

What's happening at the quarterback position?

Syracuse fans were disappointed when the team lost out on Zach Allen, the Texas native who flipped from SU to Texas Christian after the coaching change.

Since then, the Orange has extended scholarship offers to multiple quarterbacks. Garcia Jr. said in addition to John O'Korn, the St. Thomas Aquinas product form Fort Lauderdale, Syracuse has offered Mitch Kimble and Todd Porter, both from Illinois.

O'Korn announced on Thursday that his recruitment process was over, meaning he will remain pledged to Houston and signaling that Syracuse arrived too late.

But Kimble told Garcia Jr. that Syracuse leads the way for him at this point in time, and it is down to either the Orange or North Carolina State.

"Kimble officially visited last weekend, loved it, and Shafer followed up with an in-home visit this week," Garcia Jr. said. "But so did North Carolina State, which is the other school that he’s considering. He’s actually visiting Raleigh this weekend."

Garcia Jr. also predicted that Syracuse will hold on to Austin Wilson, the Pennsylvania quarterback who is currently a verbal commit and has remained steadfast throughout the coaching carousel.

What is taking place under the radar?

George McDonald, Syracuse's new offensive coordinator, is known for his recruiting prowess, and Garcia Jr. said that has been on display in the first two weeks of his time in Central New York.

McDonald, who came to SU from Arkansas and was previously at Miami, has been tapping into some of the connections he made at those two coaching stops and attempting to continue recruiting relationships he formed there.

Specifically, McDonald is pushing for wide receiver Corey Cooper out of North Carolina, cornerback/wide receiver Brisly Estime out of Florida and wide receiver Stacy Coley, who is also from Florida.

Cooper is a three-star prospect with offers from multiple ACC and Southeastern Conference schools. He is visiting Syracuse on Jan. 25, according to Scout.com.

Estime is a speedster, Garcia Jr. said, known for his athleticism and raw potential. He is rated as a two-star prospect and can play either cornerback or wide receiver. His combination of speed and size is what intrigues the Syracuse coaching staff.

And Coley, the best of the bunch, is a four-star prospect that is rated the No. 8 wide receiver in the country by Scout.com. He was an Under Armour All-American as well with roughly two dozen scholarship offers.

McDonald recruited both Cooper and Coley while he was at Arkansas.

"It looks like one of those three guys could be Orange," Garcia Jr. said. "They just picked up a wide receiver commit in Corey Winfield (earlier in the week). But if they’re going to add another one I think it comes from George McDonald’s ties to one of those three kids."

So if there will be any signing day surprises on Feb. 6, look for them to involve one or more of those three players.